Title: Inquiring Minds
Author: Moonshayde
Season: Ten
Category: Missing
Scene, Humor
Spoilers: The Pegasus Project
Pairing/Character: Daniel and Rodney with Vala.
Summary: Before the briefing, Daniel and Rodney exchange a
few words.
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its
characters, titles, names, and back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double
Secret Productions, Gekko Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All
other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of
the author. This story cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission
of the author. Realize this is for
entertainment purposes only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from
this fiction. This story is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of
the above-mentioned establishments
Daniel flipped through the
briefing report, trying to stay focused. But how could he? He was in the middle
of Atlantis, surrounded by technology that was a window to the Ancients' past.
He wanted to hunt and explore, to immerse himself completely in the city's
wonders.
He turned the next page and
sighed.
Daniel couldn't make out
some of the higher level physics cited in the report, but his basic
understanding of the field was enough. He just hoped this plan worked.
"Stay put," he
said, without ever glancing upward.
"But Daniel…" Vala
whined.
"They'll be back
shortly. Just stay."
Daniel flipped to another
page. He was starting to wish he'd never suggested allowing Vala to accompany
them. Maybe he could talk to General Landry…
"So," he heard a
voice say, nearly startling him enough to make him jump out of his seat. Daniel
looked to his left and blinked, finding Rodney McKay slip into the seat to his
left.
"So…" Daniel
arched his eyebrows.
"What did she say about
me?"
Daniel frowned and glanced
across the table. "Vala?"
"What?" Rodney
asked, shooting a confused look over to Vala. She waved. Rodney stared at her
for a few seconds before huffing impatiently at Daniel. "Ah, yes. You are
so hilariously funny that I forgot to laugh."
Daniel smiled despite
himself.
"Colonel Carter,"
Rodney said, his voice firm. "She must have missed me to insist that SG-1
come to Atlantis."
Daniel was back to skimming
through the briefing report. The fact that all of SG-1 (plus one) had come to
Atlantis had nothing to do with how much Sam had missed Rodney.
His ears still hurt after
hearing her rant all the way to the Pegasus galaxy.
Rodney did not take well to
Daniel's silence. "Oh, come on. You can't seriously expect me to believe
that she didn't say anything about me?"
"Oh, she said
something," Daniel muttered. "Actually, she said quite a lot."
Just not anything you'd
like to hear.
Rodney
leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied smile reaching his lips. "I
knew that she would."
As he
turned the page, Daniel heard a little chuckle from across the table. He paused long enough to witness Vala
grinning at the two of them, twirling her fingers through one of her long locks
of hair. Daniel sighed while Rodney frowned.
"What?"
Rodney asked.
"Nothing,"
she said innocently.
"I
think it's obviously something," he said.
Daniel
remained silent, but he kept his eyes on her, making sure she got his warning.
The last thing he needed was for Vala to tattle on Sam and her discussion over
Rodney's "manhood" right out into the open.
As
usual, Vala threw him a curve ball.
"I
just think you're an extremely intelligent man," she said with a wink.
Daniel
just rolled his eyes and turned to the next page. In the meantime, he was sure
he caught Rodney blush. "Well, yes. Glad someone noticed. I—"
Daniel
cleared his throat effectively silencing both of them. Naturally, it didn't
have the effect he was really going for.
"Do
you think I'm stupid?" Rodney huffed and glared at Daniel. "I think
we're both smart enough to be above these kind of games. Just what did Colonel
Carter say about me?"
Upon
seeing Vala's mouth open, Daniel shook his head and took the initiative,
leaning toward Rodney. "Let's just say there's no one else in the universe
Sam can talk astrophysics with like the way she does with you."
"Oh."
His smug smile returned. Rodney beamed, folding his hands together. "Well,
of course not."
Daniel
nodded. That was good enough for him. But he didn't know how long he could keep
the peace before Rodney started to pick everything apart again. He glanced down
at his watch.
"Sorry
for the wait," Elizabeth announced as she walked into the room. Colonel
Sheppard, Mitchell, and Sam followed in after her.
Daniel
offered a small smile to the four of them. He knew that someone had to stay
behind with Vala as Elizabeth showed them the security systems on Atlantis. And
naturally, it was him by default.
Not like
he'd only tried to get here for two years.
Daniel sighed.
That was all in the past. Now, he was here. Not under the best of
circumstances, but he was here.
And he
was going to damn well enjoy it.
Satisfied,
Daniel leaned back in his seat, report in hand, and nodded to everyone in the
room. Then, he focused on Elizabeth, waiting for her to begin.
THE END
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